

Blockchain could be the information ageβs biggest advancement since the internet. By enabling trustless transactions and empowering transparency, security, and privacy, the technology holds immense potential for businesses and consumers alike.
Unfortunately, the public perception of blockchain barely brings this upβββif the technology itself is even acknowledged. Instead, the peaks of Bitcoinβs valuation dominate most headlines; a successful token offering has an ICO horror story the next article over. This revolutionary technology is misunderstood, often maligned, and its potential is underexploited.
Thatβs why weβre putting cats on the blockchain π
Putting cats on the blockchain may not seem like the noblest endeavour, nor the most useful application of the technologyβββbut give me a moment to try andΒ explain.
CryptoKitties started in September 2017 as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the state of the crypto-landscape. Despite the cat puns, memes, and goofy-looking mascots, there is a serious point to this project and a genuine sense of excitement for the technology that supportsΒ it.
At the heart of this and all our blockchain efforts is a desire to make the technology accessible to everyone. Abstractions of blockchain are difficult for most to swallow, so we use Cryptokitties to communicate some of Ethereumβs features.
At its core, blockchain is a way for people to prove ownership and trustfully transact. A game based on collectible cats seemed like the most approachable introduction.
We premiered CryptoKitties alpha at ETHWaterloo. Newly converted Cryptokitties fans learned how to transact with Ethereum when they installed Metamask; they experienced smart contracts when calling the function to breed one cat with another. Users were more comfortable buying and spending Ethereum in a context they found appealing: a game featuring collectible, breedable, and oh-so-adorable cats we call CryptoKitties.
Users experience the ownership of a non-fungible goodβββtheir CryptoKitties. This is a unique proposition made possible by blockchain. A user can own a cat that is irrevocably theirs without verification of a centralΒ party.
In CryptoKitties, users can pair their CryptoKitties with others to produce unique offspring that are informed by their parentβs unique genome. Hidden in the tie-dye branding and puns is the exciting concept of digital scarcityβββone of the many groundbreaking ideas that blockchain makes possible.
@CryptoKitties @ETHWaterloo @VitalikButerin @joeykrug @brianbondy Rufflet looks really good and i really want a CryptoKitties tshirt!
βββ@BlockGeekDima
Rufflet: Mixpanel for #ethereum contracts by @CryptoKitties team #ethwaterloo @ethwaterloo
βββ@citizenhex
Sidenote: our team won the hackathon with Rufflet, a mixpanel for smart contracts that underlines our desire to make blockchain technology more accessible.
Pop quiz, hotshot: whyΒ not?
Cats are ambassadors for pharaohs, memes, and your momβs facebook page. They powered the internet and they can do the same thing for the blockchain.
Cats are adaptable, adorable, and while they may be difficult to understand, theyβre easy to appreciate.
CryptoKitties is not holding an ICO, nor is early investment a necessary prerequisite to participate. You donβt need to understand the finer points of the token economy to take part: you just need to find the CryptoKitties cute.
Cryptokitties are proof that you can create something on Ethereum without a token and βutilityβ issued from it. Users can buy, sell, and trade CryptoKitties without ever issuing or buying a tokenβββall they need is some Ethereum and the desire to doΒ play.
Surreal-genome smart contract driven Dapp #Cryptokitties are killing it at #ethwaterloo. - Try the alpha at https://t.co/cOpRKgZNIp πΊπΌπ±
βββ@stephantual
I suddenly regret not asking the Brave team to demo @metamask_io in @brave with @CryptoKitties on live stage @ETHWaterloo :P
βββ@brianbondy
Written by Benny Giang and LayneΒ Lafrance
CryptoKitties launches on November 28th. Sign up here to stayΒ updated!
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